Machine-oton



C. A. NELSON.

MACHINE GUN MAGAZINE FILLER.

IAPPLICATION FILED AUG.I6. 191s. RENEWED MAY 26,1917.

Patented June 10, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET Patented June 10, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ED STATES PATENT I CHARLES A.1\TEIQSON, or UTICA, NEW YORK,'ASSIG1\TOR To SAVAG-EARMS conPonATIoN,

onrion.

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. I

MAGHINE GUN MAGAZINE FILLER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J he 10, 1919;

' Application filed August is, 1916, Serial No. 115,128. Renewed May 26, 1917. Serial No. 171,294.

" To all whom it mayconc'ern: Be it known that LCHAnLns A. NELSON, a a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of V Utica, in the county of Oneida andStatc of New York, have invented the followingdescribedImprovements in Machine-Gun- MagazineFillers.

Thisinven'tion relates to the loading .fillifngofthedetachable magazines of fire "arins and "provides a simple and des1rj' fable device which overcomes much of the V diffi'cultyand delay heretofore experienced in that'foperation; "'The invention is parj 1 gticularly well suited for use with that type 151 of magazinein which the cartridges are LlitdlflllY disposed in one or more layers in a circular"'container, and'when so used enables the magazine to be filled by merely rotating it "on a fixed support adjacent the supply 'of' cartridges, the organization being such that the, removal of the magazine fromthefilling device serves to lock the cartridges 7 in the latter and also confines the delivered cartridges in the magazine sothat the can- V not 'bedisplaced or fall out in handling or transit. The invention further includes the arrangement of the parts whereby the de 'vice may be reversely used for unlocking the magazine and emptying it when re-' to their original source of supply. These and. other objects are accomplished by a structure of such compact form as to be quirechthe' cartridges being thereby returned capable of ready transportation and use directly at the front. I have illustrated one embodiment of my panying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a .front elevation of the'filler md the magazine about to be placed thereon, "'the' latter beingpartly broken off to illustrate interior construction;

j Fig.2 is an enlarged side elevation, with partsfin section, illustrating the inter-engagement of the magazine with the filler;

Fi g. .3 isalper'spective View of the filler and magazine in position for use;

" Fig. 4 's a front elevation of the'fi ller.

with the magazine in section, illustrating I to axsupport;

Fig.5 is a top plan of 4; Figgd across section on line VIVI of structed for that particular type' of magachine gun.

held, the cartridges may advance axially, to-

invention in the accon Fig. 8 is a cross section of Flg, 5; and j 'Fig. 9 is a larger scale detail of'the cartridge blocking gate or keeper.

Although the filling device might be employed for filling or emptying various forms of magazines and might deliver or receive otherobjects than cartridges, for purposes of illustration, it is herein shown as conon line zine used in the Savage-Lewis automatic ma- This magazine which is well known to the art comprises a sheet metal' drum or shell having amain annular wall 10 and a flange or peripheral wall .11, the 7 0 latter beingprovided with a series of inter-f nal upright grooves 12which lie parallel -with the axis ofrotation of the magazine a and receive the bases ofthe cartridges. The V p cartridges are confined to radial positions within the drum with their bases in these v grooves, by a circular row of pins l3 appropriately securedto the drum wall 10 toward its center and" as thus separately "ward thewall 10, as permitted the groove 14in a central body or hub vmember 15 which latter receives and guides the points of the cartridges. The said hu'hmember is rotatably mounted on the drum wall 10 by means of its plate 16, .(Fig. 7). overlapping the inner edge of that wall, as shown in Fig. 1 and when held stationary (its normal condition) while the drum is rotated upon it, the groove '14 acts as a stationary screw or cam to cause thecartridges to advance toward the drum/wall l0 orfrecede fromit according to thedirection of rotation. The drumshown in the drawing is designed to hold two layers of cartridges, although more are possible, andeachis moved to its final position by the groove 14, which is continuous from top to bottom as indicated in Fig. 8; It willbe apparent that each cartridge must be introduced at the entrance 16P Fig, 8) to this, groove (which is also the exit when the magazine v is on the gun) and that. by rotating-the lso one of the modes of attaching the filler drum with respect to its grooved hub part the cartridges can be. positively advanced 9 a latch in the form of a slide 17 housed be- 7 If no'convenien't "support is available to which the arm 25 may be secured, the drum j V j V 1,306,019

or notches lZ in the inner edge of the drum Wall 10. The latch can be operated from i the exterior through the hole-inthe plate- 16 but is automatically unlocked by the engagem'ent of its 'hookj20 with the .postz'of the gunon which it is supported when in use, and it issimilarly unlocked when the magazine is placed on the corresponding post fof'the filling device of 'thisinvention as presently explained. The hook' 20, in. both' cases serves thefurtherlpurpose of se- 7 curing the magazine to the post and; in both cases the post is formed to Vengagethe hub by' a spline so as to hold it against rotation withthe drum.

The specific form of magazine illustrated is similar'to that shown in Patent No. 723,719,

issued March'2l', 1903, to T. Nor'thiandj has heretofore been filled-by the slow stepby-step method described in said-patent, in-" volving the insertion of each cartridge in a drumgroove 12 when it registers with thew entrance of the helical groove orpassage-H; The drum isthen turned onestepin aldirec tion to feed the cartridge along thegroove 14 and a second'cartridge, is introduced into the next adjacentgrojove 12 and {between the pins 13 for that groovelflpThje drumis again; turned one step and the operation is repeated until the magazine; is filled, the cartridges being introduced, one at a ti 1ne,and the 170-" V layer inthej'magazihe; until they are well 7 entered-into the :groove 14. This apron isl tation being intermittent.

The filling deviceof'thisinvention'come I e I H narrower than th'e'length of'the -cartridges Tf r and therefore the pins 13, and grooves-12 f may engage the cartridge before itfleaves'the I 1 prises a main supporting-arm in tlieform of a. corrugated bar 25' adapted to be" clamped (Fig. t)'or nailed 6) 'to any convenient' support suehas'a tree or post;

of themagazine-may be held or supported and'the arm 25 m'ay serve as a 'handle for rotating theeore' and filling device in respect to the drum, a

The free end of the arm carries a'fian'ge 26 and a post 27 similar to the magazine receiving post on thegun and adaptedto receive and'hold thehub part l 5 ofthe magazine in a similar manner, thehook 20 snapping over the'interior shoulder in the post to re-- tain the magazine "thereon and also -and coincidently withdrawing'the latch 17' so as" to unlock the drum from the hub and thereupon permit relative rotation ther'ebetween;

The post has a key-way 19 along one side which "permits the magazine to be placed thereon only in I that angular position in which the entrance to the cam groove or on the post. The feedchute which may be tridgehopper isconveniently made of sheet the 'teiininal' partof areiafiveiy iarg 'carq metal and? comprises an :inclinedback wall-a opposing channels 29 and 30,; the channel 30' whiehis nearest the axis of thepost'being' ehuteonlywith their points directed toward the axis of'th mag zinaas will bel evident Thechute is inclined toward the direction tridges may roll downwardlylthereimgand -;betw'een channels the chute islnop en to pro vide access for the'oper'atoflsfingers; when l necessary. Conveniently jthe chute" isa se r cured to a beveled face 32 01 the supporting: arm 25' and its lower. Qnd is disposed iii he" radial "plane of the receivingxor entraneelffl end 145 of the helical groove'lt :so thatfthe If r points of the cartridges moving; do'vvn fthev chute will enter'directlyl into said; groove as their body" parts drop" into the cartridge? r '7 spaces provided by the pins'13 and the d i-uni grooves 12. The lower endofthejbaekgwallf 28 of the ehute' extends into the] magazine-1 drum betweenthef row ofpins v13ffland the 7 I V grooves'12, at which point it is' provided} of rotation of the drum, so that the' car With a substantially horizontal terminal adapted to'receivethe points or bullet ends Q of the cartridges] andeb'eing narrowerithanlff j V the cartridge bases,'whiletheehannel 29isv i wide enough to aecominod'ate'the base ends.-

751 Bythis means thefcartriclges can enter the" entering cartridgesatfthe'level'of thefuppe'rf'.

apron. This aetion is more clearly shown in thereafter at the levelioffithe grooveg' a'As Fig. '2;whereinitwill be observed that the base off-the cartridge drops into thexigroove' i 12 about as the bulletfend dropsbetween thel e l.

'pins' 13 and the continued rotation? of; theQ drum withflrespeot to thechute draws the. 'cartridge forwardly-Out ofthe'chutennd: along the apronzf Atflthe end of the apron If 7 '31 the bullet will be siifliciently well engaged" Y1 withthe groove '1 '-to'l"s'ustain the cartridge; J .11'5

each'cartridge is thus withdrawn from thei chute, thenext following cartridge'becomessimilarly engaged :by; the 13v and is thereby drawn; out: of the I chutel andis'o 1 lo until the magazine isffilled in itslower and; j I upperlayers.,Thecompletionliof'thefilling} U process is indicated by the, engagement of, l

wall28, 'preventing ffurther rotation of the drum. fThereupon' the'i latch' V is operated. to release the hub'p'art of the nagazinefroml j a.

' cartridgeiwith the back. side lorthe chute the post 27 ,perm-itting'the filled magazine} to be'removed from the filler'i Thellatch' h eu nspri s tee a eme w h h r a teeth fl abov'ereferred" tq;'i a fd b l q ki i the;hub and drum .7 parts against rotation I thereby prevents movement of the cartridges f prising 7 ."magazine and means for fillmgl a" support for the magazlne ac totheexitfentrance M that is to say, pres vents-aceidehtal displacement or loss of the cartridges. 7

. Th l'removal of the magazine the post QZJallows the gate or keeper 33 to drop 7 in front of the delivery end of the chute as indicatedin Fig.1 1 and also in Fig. 9. This j keeper'is pivoted to the end of thesupport- V v ing'bar by a screw 34 and is urged to its closed position by a small spring 35. Its; depending shoulder 36 is adapted for en.--

gage nentwith the upper surface of the hub par tQof the'inagazine when the latter is ,plabed on th e post 2 7 so as thereby to raise the keeper; from obstructing position at thedelivery end ofthechute, and thereby allow.

, thecartridges free access to the magazine. The rear. face of thls keeper 33 (CELIIIGS' a rearward finger 37fadapted to penetrate between theftwo lowermost cartrid es when the. keeper isgclosed whichtends to maintain the'lowestcartridge in a position forinstant engagement with 'the magazine when thelat- V ,.ter is applied. I r I I I 3' i From the description of the operation above given it willlnow be apparent thatby "applyi'ng'fa full inagazinelto the filler, thereby "unlocking both. the keeper 33 and the [latch 17, and reversely rotating the magazine, thecartridges in the latter may be deliver e'dc upwardly into the chute and the vmagazine"emptied. For this purpose the lower (males); of the chute fiange29 is curved upwardly? s shown :in Fig. 2, givin the [cartridges aii jeasyi entrance to the c ute- Whenfthedevice isused as avfiller as already described rt he cartridges may be suppliedthereto from a hopper or by hand, the ope r ator rotating theidrum with one hand while using easem t keep the chute filled. If

the] eartridgesltobe used are supplied in I eli'psfof thejkind used in certain magazine I rifles ,they' may bedelivered directly from the clips into'the chute. For this purpose the upper end of thechute is provided with one or more notches 38 (see Figs. 4 and 5) for supporting and guiding engagement with the clip and when the latter is placed therein a the cartridges may be pushed di-:. 1 rectly downward into the chute.

Claims V 1. Apparatus of the kind described, comthe combination of a self-locking it including apted to unlock the same.

[ 2. In apparatus for filling cartridge mag- V azines, the combination of a self-locking magazine, a self-locking filler therefor and means whereby the engagement of magazine and filler unlock both of them.

3. A magazine filler, including a support for a substantially cylindrical magazine,

and a cartridge containing device secured to saidsupport and having. its outlet disposed substantially radially of the magazine at one end thereofp I A. A. magazine filler, including a support for holding a substantially cylindrical mag-. aziuewith itsaxis extending in an approXi-- 111ately;upright direction, and a cartridge delivering device carried by said support. abovethe magazine atone side of the axis thereof, and having its outlet extending radially of said magaz1ne.-

The combination with a. substantially cyl ndr cal magazine, including two relatively rotatable parts, of a member adapted V to en a e. with said ma azine at the center a b i thereof, andacartridge delivering devicev secured to-said. member andhaving-its outletextending substantially radially of said lnilgaZlne. '.-V r 7 v 6.jI1 1-,Icartridge magazine filling appa-. ratus, the combination of a supporting mem- =ber having a projection adapted to receive 1 the center of a ;oartridge magazine of the 'rotary type, and a cartridge chute through which cartridges may be delivered laterally to substantially rad al posltlons'in said mag- ,azine upon the relative rotation of said magazine and chute. o

7 The combination with a rotary type cartridge magazine adapted to contain radially disposed cartridges, of a filler for said magazinehaving a cartridge guiding passage throughwhich cartridges may be I delivered laterally, said passage terminat-s ing along a line substantially radial tov saidf I magazine. i. i v

8. In, cartridge magazin'e filling -appa-' ratus, the combination of asupporting arm,

a cartridge chute borne therebyhaving a cartridge. guiding terminal plate, and means for attaching the magazine to said-arm with said plate'projecting. therein.

9. The combination with a rotary ty'pe cartridge magazine containing cartridges in superposed layers, of a filler therefor having a cartridge guiding member projecting into said magazine at the level of the first layerthereof. Y

10. The combination with a rotary type cartridge. magazine containing ca'rtridges I betW-eenu'pright pins thereon, of a filler for 

